Amici Italian Market recently opened in the South Dining Hall.

The new spot offers a warm Italian dining experience with pasta, meatballs, chicken, pinsa sandwiches, Roman-style pizza, and a salad and antipasto bar. We sent our staffers over to give it a try. Here’s what they thought.

Ella Wehmeyer: Cavatappi Alfredo With Meatballs

When I went, there wasn’t a very long line, but I have seen pretty long lines at times. I was able to check out pretty quickly and loved the mini Italian market they have with snacks and drinks leading up to the checkout. I love the variety this place brings to South dining, and I would definitely get pasta here again and want to eventually try their pizza.

Jason Perry: Pepperoni Pizza

I’m from New Jersey, so I’ve had some good pizza in my life, and while Amici’s pizza wasn’t anything like New York-style pizza from home, it was still a good meal. The sauce and cheese were evenly distributed, and it was well-cooked all around. The taste was similar to any other pepperoni pizza, but the pepperoni itself was a little bland.

This pizza was the perfect size for one person to eat as a meal. I would say it is equivalent to 2-3 average-sized slices of pizza, which is what I normally eat. Amici’s prices are honestly a little high. You can get a whole pepperoni pizza from East halls for $18.99 or $6.65 with a campus meal plan. Amici’s pizza is around a quarter of that size and costs more than half of that.

As someone who lives in South Halls, I think Amici is a good addition to the dining commons, and I will be visiting it regularly. Is it the best pizza ever? No, but it’s convenient and good enough for what it is.

Julia Romankow: Carbonara Pomodoro With Meatballs, Breadcrumbs, & Cheese On Top

I went at 6 p.m. on a Monday, and it was packed! I got the carbonara pomodoro with a meatball, breadcrumbs, and cheese on top. The carbonara pomodoro was really good. I liked the chunks of tomato in the sauce and loved the bread crumbs on top. The meatball was huge but very good. I tried my boyfriend’s alfredo with bread crumbs, cheese, and chicken. I myself am not a huge fan of Alfredo, so I didn’t love it.

It wasn’t seasoned very well and was overall a bit bland. I would definitely go again and recommend people try it out.

Malea Nadeo: Cavatappi Alfredo With Cheese, Cavatappi Bolognese With Cheese, & A Slic Of Focaccia

When struggling to get through a Penn State winter, there is only one thing on my Italian mind — pasta. What better time to drive down to Redifer Commons and try the new pasta bar, Amici? Mamma mia! The variety of options took me for a loop, ranging from cavatappi bolognese and lemon rosemary chicken to classic Italian baked goods from our own Penn State bakery. They also added an additional stand of Italian sauces and snacks from Delallos.

As you walk through the line, you can choose from proteins, toppings, and sides. I settled on two choices: the cavatappi Alfredo, cavatappi bolognese, and an additional slice of focaccia. First, I started with the bolognese. It really just tasted like a traditional meat sauce. Nothing too special, but I appreciate the effort.

Second, I dipped into my Alfredo. I don’t really know how to explain it, whether I am picky or the pasta has been under those lamps for hours, but the sauce was almost dry. Now, I don’t have anything bad to say about the pasta, but I don’t have anything super great to say about it either. I do really like how you are able to customize it and pick sides and dessert.

But for me, Amici wasn’t anything that blew me away. I would definitely try it again, maybe adding some toppings or trying something different! Overall experience: 7/10.

Michael Zeno: Alfredo Pasta & Cheese Pizza

An unfortunate reality of coming from an Italian family in New Jersey to the middle of Pennsylvania is that you’re always hunting for good Italian food. Now, my choices for my first time at Amici are extremely basic, but I needed something quick, so I just got two easy things to nosh on.

The pasta was disappointing. Presentation-wise, the noodles are identical to the Mac & Cheese sold at the Redifer City Express, a solid 20 feet away, and I couldn’t get that out of my head when eating it. It was okay, but for a place that’s supposed to be a step ahead of dining hall food, I’m disappointed. Next time, I’ll try the red sauce, which I stayed away from because I’m too spoiled from back home, and the red sauce at any place here isn’t great.

The pizza had both a high and a low bar to clear. There aren’t a ton of great pizza options in State College, but it’s hard for any place to match the stuff back home in Jersey. The Roman-style pizza was, unlike the pasta, markedly better than the dining hall slices. Something that makes me more optimistic about the next time I come to Amici is that the tomato sauce tasted fresh on the pizza and stayed true to not being the commercial, pizza chain pie.

I give the meal a 6.5/10, but there’s other stuff I want to try in the future, like the antipasto bar. The 65% student discount makes it an easy place to stop by if you want cheap Italian food on a meal plan.

Oscar Orellana: Pepperoni Pizza

I was heavily disappointed in this pizza from Amici’s. I did not mess with it at all. I literally ate one slice. I’m not a pizza connoisseur, but I straight up just didn’t like it. It had a lingering aftertaste, and I wouldn’t get pizza again. The jury is still out on the pasta, though.

Justice for Piatto’s.

Tia Kaschauer: Tortellini With Meatballs

Honestly, all the food in South is unbelievably awful. So with Amici, it’s finally really good. This might be the only place I’m eating at for a while. I would not give it a 10/10 but a solid 8/10. But, with the salad bar, please just let us use regular to-go boxes; I don’t want to eat out of a glass bowl. They also always say they have pizza, and I haven’t seen pizza yet??

Madison Sosnowski: Carbonara Pomodoro With Cheese

Not sure what I was expecting, but walking up to it, I was honestly disappointed. The last time I ate at South Dining Hall was my freshman year, so navigating the space was confusing. Presentation-wise, the pasta didn’t look awful, but after a few bites, I couldn’t finish it. It just wasn’t for me. While there was some flavor, I don’t think I would go back. Coming from studying abroad in Italy, nothing compares to that pasta, which definitely affected my opinion. Even considering that we’re in the middle of Pennsylvania, I’d still rate it a 4/10.

Sammy Layman: Alfredo With Chicken & Cheese Pizza

I would overall rate Amici a 6/10. I feel like a food critic writing this. The idea is amazing, but since I love Italian food, I think my standards are more selective. I tried their alfredo with chicken and cheese pizza. I liked how you could customize your pasta and put greens in your bowl, but the sauce was pretty mid. My friend got the ravioli and liked it better with the alfredo sauce. The pizza was a little doughy, but it was decent. They have a sort of Italian market in the store, which is super cool. If I ever want a lowkey place to get pasta, I would go back!